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Monday, October 27, 2014

MAKING PRIMITIVE DISTRESSED HANG TAGS HOW TO

I am finishing up some chicken bed spring nodders,and they needed a hang tag.
Thought I would share my method of distressing the tags to make them look old and worn.

Gather your supplies , and you will also need a lighter, or matches, of course, to light the candle. Pillar candles, or taper candles in a holder work best, Not a jar candle. I bought the Ranger walnut distressing ink at Michael's. They have other colors, as well.

I print my images for tags onto card stock, and you can find a multitude of images by doing a Google search online for FREE Hangtag images to download. I sometimes edit the words in Paint, but you can also use them as you find them. Here is the plain tag before I embellished it.

I glued the card stock to a purchased tag, then held the edges in the flame just here and there. Remove it quickly, working over a stove, or sink, so you don't start a fire; and blow out the flame so it just takes a little of the edge off.

Here is the tag after singing the ends, and sides lightly with the candle. Try to hold the tag at an angle, to avoid sooting the front. Remember practice makes perfect, so print out a practice tag the first time you try this. This one has a bit of soot, but I liked it there, so I left it alone.

The next step is to LIGHTLY blot the top of the tag with a damp paper towel, just to dampen it. Don't get it sopping wet! Next rub the edges on the ink pad, again holding it at an angle to avoid covering up too much of your design. I also dabbed the part near the top to help meld the two colors of the tag together.

The finished product,ready to grace one of my primitive spring chicken cupboard tucks.